Improvement in track-clearers



J. mum'sw. TRACK-CLEARE'R.

Patented June 13, 1876.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIGE. I

JENS T. JENSEN, OF OSKALOOSA, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRACK-CLEARERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,643, dated June 13, 1876; application filed December 20, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, JENsT. JENsEN, of Oska-loosa, in the county of Mahaska and State of Iowa, have invented an Improved Snow- Plow and Apparatus for Cleaning Railway- Tracks, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to furnish an apparatus that can be used to clear a railwaytrack of an ordinary snow of several feet depth, bypushing or plowing it off, and remove a drift or deep snow by elevating it, and casting it to the side of the track.

It consists in a turn-table, having a plow at one end, and an elevator at the other end, mounted and operated upon a truck, as hereinafter fully set forth.

My drawing is a longitudinal central section and plan view, illustrating the construction and operation of my invention. Arepreseuts a movable truck upon the track.

B is a turn-table mounted upon the truck A,

in such a manner that its ends can be readily reversed to stand in opposite directions. a snow-plow rigidly fixed to the front end of the turn-table B, in any suitable manner. D is an endless carrier, mounted upon the rear end of the turn-table, and supported by suitable framework and bearings, at an angle of about forty-five (45) degrees. The buckets a of the carrier have knives or cutters b, projecting therefrom to prevent snow from packing, and to cut it free in advance of the buckets awhen it is packed and crusted. E represents a driving-wheel mounted upon suitable bearings attached to the frame-work that supports the carrier D. It is operated by an engine carried on the turn-table, or by power Ois.

transmitted from an engine following on the same track. Suitable gearing connects the driving-wheel E and carrier D and the discharger. G represents the discharger in the form of a horizontal endless carrier that receives the snow from the top of the carrier-D, and throws it on" to the side of the track.

It may be connected with the driving mechanism in such a manner that its motion can be reversed, to carry snow to either side, as may be desirable at some places along the track.

In the practical operation of my track-cleaner, when the snow is uniformly only several feet deep, the plow O can be kept in advance to push off the snow to the sides of the track.

When a snow drift or bank that can-not be pushed off is met, the apparatus can be readily reversed by turning the table B upon its pivot, to bring the elevator and carrier D to the front, to lift the snow to the discharger G, which will cast the snow off to the side of the track. 1

I am aware that plows, elevators, and dischargers similar to mine, have been used in track-cleaners, but my manner of combining them with a turn-table mounted upon a truck, is new and greatly advantageous.

I claim as my invention in a railway-track cleaner or snow-plow, the turn-table B, carrying theplow G, elevator D, and discharger, all mounted upon the truck A, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

'JENS T. JENSEN. Witnesses JOHN SIEBEL, JAMES WALLING. 

